Anna Kalimar​Emerging writer from Romania

'I like to write about the absurd, about a lack of love. And I’m interested in people who escape the restrictions of their upbringing.'

Anna Kalimar (1991) is a writer and visual artist living in Bucharest, Romania. She graduated from the National University of Theatre and Film of Bucharest in 2014, where she studied film directing. As winner of a national debut competition she published The Irradiation of Some World (Leda Publishing), a surreal short story collection about the absurdity of everyday life, blurring the boundaries between the possible and the fantastic.

‘You mustn’t scrutinise your own work too closely, I think. Besides, you can’t,’ says Anna Kalimar. She reaches for the bottle of water on the table in front of her and holds it a few centimetres from her face. ‘I can barely focus like this. That’s why I asked a friend for a description,’ she exclaims and places the bottle back on the table. Then she pulls a notebook from the inner pocket of her jacket. ‘I’m quoting my friend when I say: “I like to write about the absurd, about a lack of love. And I’m interested in people who escape the restrictions of their upbringing.”’ Kalimar laughs. ‘I broadly agree with that.’